MAKE it five of six.
Red-hot TNT tripped Cavitex 21-14 yesterday to bag the Leg 6 title of the PBA 3×3 Second Conference at the Ayala Malls Trinoma.
Veteran sniper Almond Vosotros caught fire and keyed a telling run in the homestretch and finished with nine points and five rebounds, while Ping Exciminiano hit the game-winning two-pointer as the Triple Giga bagged their fifth crown in the past six legs.
Only the Leg 4 diadem slipped from the hands of TNT after it was beaten in the semifinals by eventual champion MCFASolver.
Counting the latest P100,000 prize money it won, the telecommunication franchise has won a total of P500,000 so far going into next week’s grand finals.
Chester Saldua added five markers, and Gryann Mendoza and Exciminiano had four and three, respectively, for the Triple Giga of coach Mau Belen.
“Tulad nga ng sinasabi ko sa mga teammates ko pati sa pamilya ko, iyong opportunity once lang dumating, kaya kapag nandiyan iyan sa harap mo, i-grab mo lang lagi,” Exciminiano, whose two-pointer closed out the game with still 1:29 to go, said.
Added Vosotros: “Every opportunity na ibinigay sa amin, talagang igra-grab namin.”
“Sobrang thankful kami sa coaches, management sa suporta sa team and ito iyong way na nakikita namin para masuklian namin sila.”
Vosotros scored four straight points to cap a 7-1 TNT run for a 19-13 lead after the Braves tied the game for the last time at 12-all.
The Triple Giga emerged unbeaten in winning Leg 6, including a 21-19 victory over Meralco in the semis, and holding off Blackwater in the quarterfinals 18-16.
Jorey Napoles and Bong Galanza carried the fight for the Braves with six points each.
Tonino Gonzaga, who got two markers for Cavitex, and Ken Ighalo (scoreless) failed to get out of TNT’s stranglehold for the fourth time in as many Leg finals in the mid-season conference.
The Braves took home the runner-up purse of P50,000.
Meralco pocketed P30,000 after a 21-13 win over Pioneer Elastoseal in the battle for third place.
